Pacific Northwest

May, 2008
Regional Report

Web Finds

Garden Puns and Wisdom
Gardeners can sometimes take themselves too seriously. Here's a little comic relief. The Spirit of Gardening Web site offers a fun collection of gardening quotes, quips, sayings, and proverbs. Categories include garden history, trees, flowers, ideas from the backyard, garden writing on the Internet, and suggested inspirational readings.

Favorite or New Plant

Diascia, a Nonstop Performer
One of my favorite plants is Diascia barberae because it asks for so little from me and gives so very much in return. It should be in everyone's garden. In my garden diascia blooms nonstop from May until frost. The individual flowers are small but amazingly abundant. Diascia is relatively carefree, very forgiving, and isn't bothered by bugs or disease. The plants grow from 12 to 24 inches tall, thrive in average soil, and will flower continuously when given anywhere from 4 to 10 hours of sunshine. If plants get rangy I simply shear the spent stems, and within a few weeks they're covered once more with pink blossoms.